THE SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

This post is about the signers of the Declaration. Keep in mind that most of them signed on August 2, 1776. Only John Hancock signed it on July 4.

1. The last to sign was Thomas McKean of Delaware. He signed sometime in 1777.
2. The youngest was Edward Rutledge from South Carolina. He was 26-years-old.
3. The oldest was Ben Franklin at age 70.
4. Eight signers were born in the United Kingdom.
5. Nine died before America got its official independence with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. One of those was Button Gwinnett of Georgia. He was killed in a duel. Thomas Lynch, Jr. drowned in a storm while sailing to France.
6. Six signed both the Declaration and the Constitution – Franklin, George Reed (who was the only one to vote against independence on July 2), Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson.
7. Two delegates refused to sign. John Dickinson was opposed to the idea of independence. Robert Livingston, who was a member of the committee who wrote the document, felt it was too soon to declare independence.
8. Only one signer survived beyond the 50^th anniversary in 1826. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died that day. Charles Carroll of Maryland lived on until 1832 when he was 95-years-old.
9. Franklin’s son William was the last royal governor of New Jersey and a Tory until his death.
10. Francis Lewis of NY had a wife who died in British imprisonment and a daughter who married a British naval officer.
11. Lewis Morris had a brother who was a British general.
12. George Wythe of Virginia was poisoned by his nephew, who got away with it because Wythe’s slave cook was not allowed to testify in court.
13. Only John Hancock, presiding officer, and Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Congress, signed on July 4.
14. Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire was the first to vote for independence on July 2 and second to sign the document.
15. Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire signed on August 2 although he was not a delegate on July 2.
16. William Whipple of NH became a general in the militia and served in the Battle of Saratoga.
17. Elbridge Gerry of Mass. had the word “gerrymander” coined for him because as governor he had supported a redistricting campaign that favored his party.
18. Robert Treat Paine was the author of the Olive Branch Petition which was a last ditch attempt to avoid war in 1775.
19. William Ellery of RI had his house burned down by British soldiers later that year.
20. Stephen Hopkins of RI later helped draft the Articles of Confederation.
21. Roger Sherman of Cn. Is one of only two human beings who signed the Declaration, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
22. William Williams of Cn. arrived too late to vote on July 2, but signed on August 2.
23. Abraham Clark had two soldier sons who were imprisoned on the notorious prison ship
24. John Witherspoon of NJ was the only active clergyman.
25. John Hart of NJ had his farm burned by British soldiers. He went into hiding and his wife died when he was away.
26. Richard Stockton of NJ was imprisoned by the British and was mistreated which ruined his health. When he returned home, it had been destroyed.
27. Caesar Rodney of Delaware rode 80 miles in a rush to reach Philadelphia on July 2 to break the tie in the Delaware delegation.
28. Benjamin Rush of Pa. was one of the most famous doctors in the Colonies. He was also a famous abolitionist and believer in women’s rights.
29. John Morton of Pa. was the first signer to die, in 1777.
30. Charles Carroll was the only Catholic.
31. Carter Braxton of Va. was rich before the war, but he lost his fortune during the war due to the British destroying his shipping business and taking most of his ships.
32. Thomas Nelson, Jr. of Va. was so supportive of independence that he urged Continental Army artillery to fire on his house in Yorktown because there were British soldiers in it.
33. Benjamin Harrison of Va. was the father and great-grandfather of future presidents.
34. Arthur Middleton, Thomas Heyward, Jr., and Edward Rutledge were all captured when Charleston, SC fell.

https://www.ucf.edu/news/7-little-known-facts-declaration-independence/

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-declaration-of-independence

https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-declaration-of-independence

https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-declaration-of-independence/fascinating-facts/